Knowledge is Power (but only when shared)

Abstract

We have all heard the phrase “knowledge is power.” What exactly does that mean? Does it mean I should hoard the knowledge I have? Should I keep it safe by refusing to allow my peers and subordinates access to it? Will having more knowledge, and subsequently more power, make me a better officer? Perhaps. Knowledge itself is not the end goal. The application of knowledge is the critical piece missing from the colloquial phrase. Ultimately, we are all part of a team called the U.S. Army. We win or lose as a team. We win or lose as a Division, as a Brigade, as a Battalion, a Company, and as a Platoon. Why then would we ever choose not to contribute to the larger effort of success of the team? Does our own ambition make us so shortsighted that we are unwilling to help a fellow platoon leader prepare for a small arms range? That we would leave a struggling peer to draft an OPORD by himself?